Changeup controller for ball throwing machine

Abstract

Embodiments provide a ball throwing machine including a motor coupled to a rotary wheel and configured to rotate the rotary wheel at a rotational speed to throw a ball forward toward an athlete. A speed control module may be coupled to the motor and configured to rotate the rotary wheel, via the motor, at a first rotational speed during a fastball setting and a second rotational speed during a changeup setting. The speed control module may determine the second rotational speed based on the first rotational speed so that a ball thrown by the ball throwing machine will arrive in a target zone when the ball throwing machine is in the fastball setting and the changeup setting.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A ball throwing machine comprising:
 a body; 
 a rotary wheel coupled to the body; 
 a motor coupled to the rotary wheel and configured to rotate the rotary wheel; 
 a feed structure coupled to the body portion and configured to receive a ball and direct the ball to an outer circumferential surface of the rotary wheel, the rotary wheel configured to throw the ball outwardly from the ball throwing machine toward an athlete; 
 a speed measurement device configured to measure the rotational speed of the rotary wheel; 
 a speed control circuit coupled to the motor and the speed measurement device, the speed control circuit selectively switchable between a fastball setting and a changeup setting and configured to control the motor to rotate the rotary wheel at a first rotational speed during the fastball setting and to control the motor to rotate the rotary wheel at a second rotational speed during the changeup setting, wherein the second rotational speed is slower than the first rotational speed; 
 wherein the speed control circuit is configured to set a value of the second rotational speed based on a value of the first rotational speed so that the ball will arrive at the athlete in a target zone during the fastball setting and the changeup setting without adjusting a position of the rotary wheel and without adjusting a position of the feed structure. 
 
     
     
       2. The ball throwing machine of  claim 1 , wherein the speed measurement device is configured to measure the rotational speed of the rotary wheel magnetically. 
     
     
       3. The ball throwing machine of  claim 2 , wherein the speed measurement device includes one or more magnets coupled to the rotary wheel, and a magnetic detector configured to measure the rotational speed of the rotary wheel based on detection of the one or more magnets. 
     
     
       4. The ball throwing machine of  claim 1 , wherein the speed measurement device includes a tachometer coupled to the motor or rotary wheel. 
     
     
       5. The ball throwing machine of  claim 1 , wherein the speed measurement device is configured to measure the rotational speed of the rotary wheel optically. 
     
     
       6. The ball throwing machine of  claim 5 , wherein the speed measurement device includes:
 a slotted wheel configured to be rotated by the motor and having one or more slots; 
 an optical emitter configured to transmit light toward the slotted wheel; and 
 an optical receiver configured to receive light transmitted by the optical emitter that passes through the one or more slots of the slotted wheel. 
 
     
     
       7. The ball throwing machine of  claim 1 , wherein the speed control circuit is configured to generate a control signal to control the rotational speed of the rotary wheel, and wherein the speed measurement device is configured to measure the rotational speed of the rotary wheel based on a parameter of the control signal. 
     
     
       8. The ball throwing machine of  claim 1 , wherein the feed structure includes a pinch plate spaced from an outer surface of the rotary wheel to pinch the ball against the outer surface of the rotary wheel. 
     
     
       9. The ball throwing machine of  claim 1 , further comprising a handheld controller configured to communicate wirelessly with the speed control circuit to selectively place the speed control circuit in the fastball setting or the changeup setting. 
     
     
       10. The ball throwing machine of  claim 1 , wherein the speed control circuit is configured to automatically switch to the fastball setting from the changeup setting after a time period in the changeup setting. 
     
     
       11. The ball throwing machine of  claim 1 , wherein the second rotational speed is determined based on the first rotational speed using a changeup algorithm, and the changeup algorithm includes a polynomial function. 
     
     
       12. The ball throwing machine of  claim 1 , wherein the rotary wheel is a first rotary wheel, and wherein the ball throwing machine includes a plurality of rotary wheels including the first rotary wheel, the plurality of rotary wheels configured to throw the ball in cooperation with one another. 
     
     
       13. A method to be employed by a ball throwing machine, the method comprising:
 measuring a value of a first rotational speed of a rotary wheel of the ball throwing machine during a fastball setting of the ball throwing machine in which the rotary wheel is configured to throw a ball at a first speed; 
 determining, by a speed controller, a target value for a second rotational speed of the rotary wheel during a changeup setting of the ball throwing machine in which the rotary wheel is configured to throw a ball at a second speed that is less than the first speed, wherein the target value of the second rotational speed is determined based on the measured value of the first rotational speed so that the ball is thrown within a target zone during the fastball setting and the changeup setting without adjusting a position of the rotary wheel and without adjusting a position of a feed structure of the ball throwing machine; and 
 rotating the rotary wheel at the second rotational speed during the changeup setting of the ball throwing machine. 
 
     
     
       14. The method of  claim 13 , wherein the value of the first rotational speed is measured magnetically. 
     
     
       15. The method of  claim 14 , wherein the value of the first rotational speed is measured using one or more magnets coupled to the rotary wheel and a magnetic detector configured to detect the one or more magnets as the one or more magnets rotate. 
     
     
       16. The method of  claim 13 , wherein the value of the first rotational speed is measured using a tachometer. 
     
     
       17. The method of  claim 13 , wherein the value of the first rotational speed is measured optically. 
     
     
       18. The method of  claim 17 , wherein the value of the first rotational speed is measured using:
 a slotted wheel configured to be rotated at a rotational speed that is based on the rotational speed of the rotary wheel; 
 an optical emitter configured to transmit light toward the slotted wheel; and 
 an optical receiver configured to receive light transmitted by the optical emitter that passes through the one or more slots of the slotted wheel. 
 
     
     
       19. The method of  claim 13 , wherein the rotational speed of the rotary wheel is controlled by a control signal, and wherein the value of the first rotational speed is measured based on a parameter of the control signal.